The Town of Melville has adopted the following Citizen Participation Plan to meet the citizen participation requirements of Section 508 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended. The Town of Melville is committed through adoption of this plan to full an total involvement of all residents of the community in the composition, implementation and assessment of its Louisiana Community Development Block Grant (LCDBG) Program. Attempts will be made to reach all citizens, with particular emphasis on participation by persons of low and moderate income, residents of slum and blighted areas and of areas in which funds are proposed to be used. A copy of this plan will be made available to the public upon request.
As part of the citizen participation requirements and to maximize citizen interaction, the Town of Melville shall
1. Provide citizens with reasonable and timely access to local meetings, information and records relating to the State’s proposed method of distribution, as required by the Secretary, and relating to the actual use of funds under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended;
2. Provide for public hearings to obtain views and respond to proposals and questions at all stages of the community development program. These hearings will consist of the development of needs and proposed activities and review of program performance. These hearings will be held after adequate notice, a minimum of five calendar days, at times and locations convenient to potential or actual beneficiaries with accommodations for persons with disabilities;
3. Provide for and encourage citizen participation with particular emphasis on participation by persons of low and moderate income who are residents of slum and blighted areas and of areas in which funds are proposed to be used;
4. Provide for technical assistance to groups representative of persons of low and moderate income that request such assistance in developing proposals;
5. Where applicable, identify how the needs of non-English speaking residents will be met in the case of public hearings; and
6. Provide for a formal written procedure which will accommodate a timely written response, within fifteen days where practicable, to written complaints and grievances. Written minutes of the hearings and an attendance roster will be maintained by the Town of Melville.
LCDBG Clearance Program Public Hearing and Application Review
Public Hearing Date ___December 8, 2024___Time:12 pm
Location: Town of Melville
516 Church Street Melville, Louisiana 71353
The public hearing to address LCDBG application submittal will be held approximately 11 calendar days prior to the deadline for submission of the application for the current funding cycle. The Citizen Participation Plan will be available at the hearing. The public notice for this hearing will state that the following will be discussed:
a) 6 million dollars is available for proposed community development, with 500,000 dollars available for cities and 250,000 available for towns;
b) The range of activities that may be undertaken, are the demolition of dilapidated, and unsafe structures, clearing of the property and the reasonable leveling of the property. The full 250,000 dollars will be used for activities that will benefit persons of low and moderate income.
c) The plans of the Town of Melville for minimizing displacement of persons as a result of activities assisted with such funds and the benefits to be provided by the Town of Melville to persons actually displaced as a result of such activities; and
d) The addresses of the Properties applied for in the clearance program are as follows
1) 735 Landrum Street
2) 732 Burton Street
3) 102 Third Street
4) 133 Second Street
5) 1024 Second Street
6) 1015 Second Street
7) 1122 First Street
8) 627 Lee Street
9) 627 Landrum Street
10) 639 Dodge Street
11) 149 Martin Luther King
12) 817 Forest Street
13) 318 Gum Street
14) 425 walnut Street
15) 286 Church Street
16) 727 Landrum street
17) 718 Landrum Street
18) 1036 Forest Street
19) 441 Front Street
20) 1705 Burton Street
e) The proposed activities are expected to cost 250,000 dollars. All citizens, particularly residents of low and moderate income or of slum and blighted areas, are encouraged to submit their views and proposals regarding community development and housing needs. Those citizens unable to attend this hearing may submit their views and proposals to:
Town of Melville
516 Church Street
Melville, Louisiana 71353
The notice will also state that accommodations will be made for individuals with disabilities and limited English proficiency provided a 5 days’ notice is received by the Town of Melville.
f) We expect to turn in the Clearance Program application by December 15, 2024.
g) The application is available for review at:
Town of Melville
516 Church Street
Melville, Louisiana 71353
Monday- Thursday 9am to 3pm
All citizens, particularly those affected by the proposed project, are encouraged to review the proposed application and submit any written comments on the application to the address above.
Negative comments received will be forwarded to the state’s Office of Community Development-Local Government Assistance, Division of Administration or the application will be withdrawn if necessary.
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